A Eurobarometer survey on the European consumer choices regarding fishery and aquaculture products shows that Europeans like eating fish and other seafood and that the EU policies help building their confidence in this kind of food by reliable and useful consumer information.

More than four out of ten Europeans eat fish and seafood at least once a week at home, although price and availability are the main barriers to increase consumption. Regional, national and EU products enjoy a very strong consumer preference. European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella reacts to the study: “European consumers tell us they want to have fish on their menu. It is our responsibility, as policy makers, to secure that our citizens can enjoy these tasty products in the long term. This means ensuring the sustainability of our fisheries, and we have progressed a lot on that over the last years. But also aquaculture plays an important role: farmed fish from the EU is a sustainable source of protein and other nutrients. In a low-carbon society, its role will only increase.” The EU is the world's largest market for fishery and aquaculture products. We spend twice the amount of money on fish per capita as US consumers. The study confirms the high level of trust (83%) that consumers have in the information they receive as result of EU regulations. No less than 75% of consumers find the product information clear and easy to understand. While more than a third of European fish consumers prefer wild products (35%), nearly one-third (32%) makes no distinction. Only 9% indicates a strong preference for aquaculture products. These and many more facts in the full survey: Eurobarometer special survey 475: EU consumer habits regarding fishery and aquaculture products.